Heretofore, applicant has developed technology in which vehicle doors are integrated with the vehicle chassis to transmit tensile, compressive, torsional and bending forces across the door opening when the door is closed. This door and chassis integration technology (hereinafter referred to as DACIT) allows the vehicle chassis to be lighter and stiffer, and affords greater protection to vehicle occupants from intrusion during a collision. DACIT has been applied by the applicant to vertically sliding doors, conventional hinged doors, van side and rear doors, and other moving door panels such as hatchbacks, tailgates, hoods, and trunks. This technology is fully described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,801,172, 4,940,282, 5,378,036, and U.S. application Ser. Nos. 08/328,124, 08/439,605, 08/577,649, 08/769,895, incorporated herein by reference.
In the preferred embodiments of the above inventions, frusto-pyramidically-shaped structural key members are rigidly mounted on the corners of the door panel facing toward the interior of the vehicle. Complementary-shaped mating receptacles are rigidly mounted to the door jamb facing outward such that they releasably receive the structural key members when the door is closed. With a structural framework located within the door interconnecting the key members, the door is able to act as part of the vehicle chassis and transmit forces across the door opening when the door is closed and the keys are tightly fit within the mating receptacles.
The present invention furthers the above technology by applying similar, releasable structural connections to vehicle chassis members such that the chassis can be made up of individual members releasably joined together. The above technology is also adapted to releasably attach non-movable vehicle body panels to the chassis. This results in a fully modular car having a body and chassis that are both load bearing for greater structural efficiency and reduction in vehicle weight.